


What The Heart Reveals

by lildropofmagic



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27248917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lildropofmagic/pseuds/lildropofmagic
Summary: There's something about Katara's heartbeat that bothers Toph.*Because we all deserve a little bit of mid-week zutara fluff*
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 128





	What The Heart Reveals

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place post Southern Raiders, pre Ember Island Players.

Toph waits for Suki and Sokka to leave for the beach, and Aang and Zuko to go for their afternoon firebending session, before turning towards Katara with a frown. “What gives, Sugar Queen? I thought you forgave him already.” 

There’s a series of clunks and clinks as Katara places the lunch things on the side in order to wash them up, followed by a momentary pause. “Toph, what are you talking about?” she asks distractedly and then there’s the rush and bubble of water. “Forgave who?” 

“Zuko.” The background noise could have hidden it but Toph has been focused on Katara’s heartbeat a lot recently and so she easily catches the way it stutters at Sparky’s name. Interesting.

“I _have_ forgiven him,” Katara tells her, sounding puzzled, and suddenly Toph is just as confused. 

“Wait,” she says quickly. “Say that again.” 

“I’ve forgiven Zuko,” Katara states simply. “What’s up with you?”

“What’s up with _you?_ ” Toph counters. This doesn’t make sense. She can tell from the reactions of Katara’s body that she’s just spoken the truth: she has forgiven Zuko. But that actually makes the situation more strange. “If you don’t have a problem with Zuko anymore then you might want to tell your heart to stop beating faster whenever he comes into the same room as you.”

“What?” The word comes out a little strangled from Katara’s.

“I mean,” Toph says thoughtfully resting her chin on her hand, “when you didn’t trust him and thought he was going to turn on us, it made sense that he would have that effect on you - it was the same for everyone.”

“Right, well, like you said - I’m just like everyone else,” Katara said defensively, dunking a dish in some water and starting to scrub at it viciously. 

“ _No_ ,” Toph says pointedly. “That’s _not_ what I said: it _was_ the same - past tense - everyone else settled down pretty quickly. I thought you’d finally follow suit after you both had that little trip, but it’s been well over a week now and your heart rate still goes up whenever he comes near you. Or when you hear his voice from another room, or watch him firebend with Aang, or when someone even says his name like I did two minutes ago.”

“ _Toph_!” Katara snaps and there’s a big slosh of water as she turns in annoyance. “You shouldn’t keep such close tabs on people like that - it’s invasive.” 

“Hey, it’s not snooping - I can’t help it!” she retorts hotly. “You can all shut your eyes or look away to stop yourself from seeing. It’s not so easy for me.” 

The waterbender sighs noisily. “Yeah, I know, I’m sorry,” she grumbles and turns back to the dishes. “Look, I don’t know why my heart is doing that around Zuko, OK?” 

Toph tilts her head slightly and presses her lips together. According to Katara’s own body, _that_ is a lie, or at least it isn’t entirely honest. There is a grey area sometimes. A sensible (aka boring) person would leave it alone. Toph decides to poke the bear instead. “You know, now that I think about it, your breath still hitches sometimes in response to him, which would support the wary, lack-of-forgiveness boat I thought you were on, but you don’t use your aggressive voice on him anymore.” 

“Toph! I swear to La - ”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Toph cuts in, unfazed at her friend’s snarl. “Your voice is kinda hesitant around him now - not all hostile like it used to be.”

“What’s your point?” Katara says between gritted teeth.

Toph thinks for a moment and then shrugs her shoulders. “I guess I don’t really have one,” she admits good-naturedly. “I’m just trying to understand why you and Zuko are being so weird around each other. It’s distracting me.” 

“I’m sorr - wait!” Katara gasps halfway through an automatic apology. “What do you mean ‘ _and_ Zuko’?” 

A smirk wants to slide over Toph’s mouth as the beginning of understanding creeps in, but she manages to keep it at bay. “His heart goes weird around you, too. Always has done since the Western Air Temple. If he’s picked up on your mixed signals like I have then that would explain it - he’s still on edge around you because he doesn’t think you’ve really forgiven him.” 

“His heart…” Katara begins hesitantly, “beats faster when he sees me?” 

“Yep - or when you start talking to him,” Toph confirms breezily. “Now that I think about it I guess he’s just acclimatising to the new Katara, because now once he’s gotten over his heart stutter around you his pulse is then more relaxed than at any other time.”

Katara’s own heart has been racing like a rabaroo in the last minute but at Toph’s latest revelation it seems to flutter in double time for a moment. “Oh,” Katara says softly. “I… I see.” Toph thinks she sounds pleased, if a little dazed. 

Toph lets out a low chuckle. “Anyway, see you around, Sweetness.” 

She’s only able to hear Katara’s soft call of ‘Bye’ a lengthy pause later because the waterbender seems to have forgotten the dishes she was halfway through cleaning and the room is utterly silent.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my laptop for months. Thought that it should see the light of day. I've long contemplated adding a Toph&Zuko scene as a follow-up but it's never materialised. Maybe posting this will kick my butt into gear. 
> 
> Keep safe, everyone.


End file.
